potty training tips from mothers with boys

Megan - posted on 03/25/2009
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Hi all. I am getting ready to start potty training my son (almost 2) and was wondering if there were some tips or tricks that seemed to help potty training go well for you and your son. I'm already starting to get him psyched about it through potty training books, but not really sure how to take the next step...like, when should I introduce him to training pants...? Any tips and ideas would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Cindy - posted on 06/15/2013

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Stressed my grandson is 31/2 and refuses to poop in the pot he pees and wear big boy pants just find in the potty, he says he scared to poopy in potty, his parents have started giving him enammas twice he goes when forced like that but will not go on his own, can I help my granson some way with out stressing him so bad???

I was given a potty chair for a gift at my baby shower and had just the right spot for it in my bathroom, so I put it there just before he was even born. Then his dad and I took him with us and laid him on a blanket almost from birth, anytime we went to the bathroom. When I took him in for his 18 month check-up with the doctor I asked when I should start potty training and the doctor said with boys, usually not til at least 2, but a couple of weeks later my son pulled at his diaper and said "potty momma", so I took him in and sat him on his potty that he had seen all his life, and he went. Lots of praise followed. Since I was an only child and had never been around babies, I immediately took him to buy big boy underwear and with very few accidents he was potty trained in no time. I think having the potty chair for him to see and taking him with me every time I went for the previous 18 months of his life was the key. He was trained by 19 months of age. The doctor was amazed. My son is now 23 and trying to start a family of his own and the first thing I will give his wife for her baby shower is a potty chair.

Definitely take him to pick out a potty and big boy underwear. I tried 2 different methods with both my boys. With my oldest, we went from diapers to pull ups and then to underwear. With my second, right from diapers to underwear with only pull ups at nap and bedtime. The second way worked best for us and it really shortened to potty training time. I will use this method with our third son. Good luck and just know that when you decide you are ready to train, it's all in. You can't stop, you have to keep going forward. So make sure you are ready because it is takes patience and work.

My son will be 3 in July and he is about 98% potty trained. We started when he showed interest and excitment in the potty. I then started rewarding him with one M&M for peeing in the potty and 3 if he pooped (he didn't want to poop in the potty at first). Once we got him familiar with going on the potty I stopped using pull-ups during the day because he knew they were like diapers and it did not matter if he went in them or not. So we went strictly to big boy underwear during the day. I started this like 6 weeks ago. The first week was really tough. I had a lot of laundry to do, but he started to realize that it was better to go on the potty than to go in his pants because it felt "icky". When I started him in underwear, I also started a sticker chart. If he had one or less accidents in a day (an accident to me was if he totally didn't even try to go to the potty...if he was on his way, and didn't make it, I would not count that against him) I would give him a sticker. If he got 4 or more stickers for the week, he would get a surprise at the end of the week. He is REALLY into the "CARS" movie, so we got him a car from the movie. He loves Lightning McQueen and Mater etc. He was soooo excited!! He has had some perfect weeks and has had some not so good weeks. But he totally gets the concept now and he is starting to learn to hold it until he gets to the potty.

This is what I did. It is different for each child. Use what speaks to your child. For my son it was M&M's and stickers and Cars. I wish you great luck with your process. One of the most important thing I can say is stay consistant. It will be hard and more work for you at times, but it is so worth it!! Good luck!

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Alicia - posted on 03/30/2009

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You have to know his routine, when does he go?, is it right after he eats. then put him on the potty around that time, let him sit on the potty with a book or something. then explain that's what big boys do. also let him follow daddy around or older siblings, just by seing other boys like him use the toilet might motivate his interest.

I used a sticker chart. My son had just turned 2 or 3.. it was spring/summer. He loved the chart.. he got to put the stickers on.. and if he did good everyday for the week.. he got to pick a new toy. Luckily i only had to buy one. The diapers were unneeded after that week. We skipped pull ups and the little potty chair. We got a glow in the dark seat for on the regular toilet for him. He sat to pee most of the time to start. Until he felt comfortable with the toilet. Just get a clip for the seat for the boys.. to keep it up. Sometimes they don't put it up all the way.. and my poor little guy knows that hurts.

We put cheerios and fuit loops in and let them target practice. This was fun for them and not to mention a great way to teach a boy how not to pee on the seat or rim..... Making it fun for you both and don't stress to much about the age they are to start. All kids are not the same and you will see signs from your child when they are ready too.

So exciting! ;) As long as he's ready you're in the right direction. If you find he's having a tough time with it, no worries, just wait a bit and try again at a later date. For our son we had the botty out for him to sit on, check out, etc. I wanted him to be totally comfortable with it. He was able to tell me if he had gone potty in his diaper and I could tell when he needed to go poopoo...red face, stopped all he was doing. I would quickly take him to the potty at those times and see if it would happen. It took a bit. I would always have him sit on the potty right after waking up and before going down to bed, including naps. Also, after meals. We are't a shy family so he saw us using the potty when we had to go. Maybe that helped. I also took a good week off of our usual activities and stayed home letting him play around the house with nothing on except a long t-shirt (so the landscapers and pool guys wouldn't wonder what the heck was going on with a naked little boy runnig around). I put his potty in the middle of our house for easy access. He had a couple accidents but they were close to the potty at least. And everytime he went we praised him and let him pick out a sticker. Sometimes if he went poopoo he got to choose two! ;) He wore them proudly on his long t-shirt. I know it's so different for everyone. Just keep patient and keep encouraging him. More than anything he wants to please you. Good luck!!!

Hi...I am a mother of two boys (ages 4 and 2) and I put both boys in underwears not training pants. The first couple of days we had "accidents" but after a while they came to realize that underwears are not meant to be wet. I also had a potty seat readily available in the living room just in case they couldn't reach the bathroom. Also, I read in a Parenting magazine to use cheerios in the toilet bowl so they can aim better and it worked. My boys had fun trying to hit the cheerios. Hopefully that can help you out. Good luck on the potty training.

I didn't use a potty chair. I bought a little stool to step up on and one of those seats that sit in the toilet. I started both my boys out right away standing to pee. I would put cheerios or fruit loops in the toilet and tell them to sink them, or tell them they were fire men to use their hose to put out the fire..HAHA It didn't take long to potty train them at all.

I got a jar of (sugar free) candy and put it on the bathroom counter where he could see it. Every time he went in the potty he got a piece. I also got a really cute potty training video with elmo. He loved it. He had white briefs just like daddy and I asked him every 15 minutes or so to take a trip to the potty. I explained to him that when he felt that burning sensation in his "tee tee" it was time to go. He was potty trained within 2 weeks. I still made him wear pull-ups at night just in case but luckily we never had any accidents. I just quit giving him drinks 1-1/2 hours before bed.

I am currently potty training my boy who is 3. I tried at 2 but he just wasn't quite ready so I waited a little longer. He has been doing extremely well and I didn't use training pants at all (except for night time because I don't want to wash sheets everyday LOL). I took a Friday off of work and spent 3 days in the house with him just following him around. I let him pick out his potty and underwear. During those three days we just played games and read book, watched movies but he never left my side. I will say it can be very stressful but everytime I saw him start to go or show signs I would look at him and say "uhoh....let's get to the potty!!" I made it fun and now the only accidents he is having is pooping but from what I understand that is the hardest one to train to do but so far no accidents in his pants and it has been 3 weeks!! I swear by it. Also everytime he goes I give him a reward (small peice of candy). If you don't mind spending 24.00 there is a downloadable book called 3 day potty training and the write of the book also helps with mentoring. You can ask her questions and her reply are really quick. I followed exactly what I told you and I literally had him going on the potty by the 4th day on his own. He just gets up and goes and then tells me afterwards. Sorry so long I am just so excited to be where I am!! Any questions please feel free to ask.

i'm going back 19 years but when my little boy was going to potty train i boght a musical potty so everytime he had a wee in it it played twinkle twinkle little star well he would stand for ages wanting it to play music dont know if you can still buy them as i will deff get one for my grandson when ts time xxx

Teach him sit b4 stand.. they have to learn to sit to poo anyway. If dad feels comfortable letting your son watch to see how standing up is done, makes it much easier. I never taught my son to stand or aim... I just walked in one day and there he was holdin it peein in the potty.. LOL. ! I guess he wanted to be big like daddy!! Use the trainer pants that are the cloth inside, rubber outside ones, they still get really wet but NO MESS!!(walmart sells them)I swear by them.. they work miracles. DO NOT USE PULLUPS! They are usless... there just a more expensive diaper!. Definatly use a reward method.. kids love candy and toys!! :)... I found 2 a great age to train... mine was fully night and day trained only a few weeks after he turned 2.

With my kids, as soon as they could stand well (9 months - 1 year) I hed them sit on the potty where I brushed their teeth while the water was running for their bath. Therefore, the potty was something they were very comfortable with from an early age. There was absolutely no pressure to pee in it at that age - however, running water has a certain effect on many people, and sometimes they did pee, and I identified it for them at the time so they could connect the words and sensation.

When my kids were a bit older - 15 months or so - I would bring them to the bathroom and let them sit on the potty whenever I went -or later, when big sister went. Again, no pressure, let's just sit here several times a day for a few minutes. Then, we went to cloth underwear. Shorts are great to wear around the house and esy to wash! We were still sitting on the potty many times a day, especially right after a wetting. Took less than two weeks to start getting consistently to the potty on time. All my kids were day pee trained by 18 months. Accidents and relapses are common, especially when they get older and try to tell you: "But I don't have to go now!" before a long walk.

I also run a daycare at home, and some of the kids were reluctant to sit on the potty at all since they started late. For these kids, I started by giving a single chocoloate chip every time they sat on the potty when I asked. After a while, they got a chocolate chip every time they say down with dry underwear (but not wet, I'd say "let's try next time!"). This worked really well for the kids who only started training after age 2.

I actually potty train for a living... lol... I work at a daycare and have 7 children in my room who I potty train. I have to agree that you have to have them pick out their underwear and tell them that they have to use the potty. It is easier to just jump in cold turkey and put the undies on... it happens faster because they don't like to be wet. Pull ups don't work because they are just like diapers. hth

Well, I know that it is different for every child, but here are some tricks that I used with Hawken now 9 years old. I started with sitting him on the potty and turning on the water. Just to introduce them and let him understand what was to go on there. Aiming tools make this more effective. When timing the bathroom times place cheerios, fruit loops, etc. in the potty and let make it a game. Just some ideas and remember that pull ups are easy for mistakes will happen. Best of luck!

We potty trained my stepson as his bio mum wouldnt(said he was 2 young), he was 2 1/2, we brought a potty which look like a chair and also a seat for the loo. We sang wen he did something!!! I found that pullups did not work go straight to pants, and let him choose the 1's he likes. We asked every 15 mins 2 start wiv, but still put him on pot if he said no. it took us a week altho as his bio mum wouldnt do the same we would start all over again. he loved his pants.

For my son, we tried underwear but he would have an accident and then be really excited to pick out another pair...so that really didn't work...the best thing I did was say on his 3rd birthday i was throwing all his pullups/diapers away cause he was a big boy, and on his 3rd day and after he has gone potty on his own.

my son 3 still isnt totally potty trained. and it irks me more than anything cause he is only regressing since i told him that i had a baby in my tummy. totally norm behavior.... but when he was good lol i let him lead the way to tell me when he was ready. the books and vids and cool pants in the world didnt sway him. unless they let you know that they are ready no matter what you do they wont go. but pull ups are a good tool and lettin them pick out their own potty helps too cause he'll want to impress and use it. and bribery isnt beneath anyone. lol. kids will go for a treat. mine loved gummy bears and m&ms

hi there I see the average age for potty training is 2. I have a lot of people including my mom to start now, he is 1. My mom potty trained my brothers at 1 in a day using her method that Im dying to know. Is this doable? not the training in a day part but starting so early? or is that too high of an expectation?

My son is 3 and is very stubborn. We had tried letting him pick his own underware out ,we have done the cherrios and the ping pong ball, also we put food coloring in the toilet bowl. Finally he started to pee just fine , but to poop he has a T.V. tray and his favorite book and he sits there and reads just like daddy!

hi my son was 2 years and 9 months i found just letting him run around the house for a about 3/4 weeks with nothing on the bottom half so when he went on the potty he just sat on it.plusif you put pants on him he may think he has a nappie on so he will wet himself.and then when we took him out in big boy pants i took a potty with me and just kept asking do you need wee wees and he would tell me yes or no.its going to be hard and frustrating but he will get there in the end. just have lots of towel at the ready to wipe up any wee,lol good luck

Post a reply!Not sure if it will help you but it worked for mine. Go to Wal mart (they are even on sale right now) and get the cars box of pull ups with the chart! told him they were big boy under wear and if he peed in them we had to throw them out. He was trained within a week. He liked the fact that they looked like under wear and I told them they were for big boys only. Also gave him smarties after!! That is always a hit! I let him pick the treat!

My son is now almost 10 but was fully potty trained by 18 months. I taught preschool for 10 years and have tried many things to help the boys learn to "AIM" but what I found works best is to drain the water in the bowl and use bright red nail polish to make "Flames' in the bottom, after it drys refill with water. The boys have a blast playing "fire fighter" trying to put out the flames. Also, I agree with many others, avoid the training pants...If they don't feel wet or dirty they will not learn they can control it. Good luck.

Just take your time. I have a soon who will be 3 in August and another son to be born in May. I was afraid that I would not have my son potty trained by then, but a week ago he decided that he wanted to wear big boy underwear one day. So we have been wearing big boy underwear for about a week now and doing good. We only put a pull up on him at nap time and bed time. I have to say boys are harder and you just have to be patient and just keep talking to them. Good Luck!

I trained my boys siting first once they got it then we stood up. We used a treasure box for rewards to train. My sons were really into hot wheels, so thats what we used. The got to pick out a treasure everytime they peed in the potty. For the first two days, Then they picked every few times and then only when they did poopies. They earned so many cars it kept them busy and they loved to get more to play with (it kept them busy while sitting on the potty too). Every child is different so what works for you may not work for someone else. You know you child best so do whats right. The books are key!!! Trainingg underwear are great because they hate the wet and this means tons of laundry , but its not forever. I know when I committed to training it took about 3 days, we did not go anywhere. After that, they used a pullup for short trips incase they had an accident. Good Luck and have fun its a new milestone...........BIG BOY Time!!!

I did the shopping for the underwear thing which seemed to help with peeing in the potty but he wouldn't poop so if you have that problem, candy is the trick! Just sit him on the potty and tell him that if he poops he will get a piece of candy and make it something that you know he'll love but hardly ever gets, so it's exciting. We used creme savers.

just remember not to force the idea....I found myself doing that with my son after he showed some interest...the more I pushed, the more he pushed back....after a couple of weeks of regressing back to diapers, one day he just ran into the bathroom by himself, tore off his diaper and went by himself.... I was losing "his" game and had to lay off to see final results...Good Luck!

Hi Megan, In my experience,generally most boys can recognise the sensation to urinate around the age of 3.Each child is different and you'll find that a lot will say mine did it at a younger age and that is fine but it is important for your little boy to do it in his own time. An indication that he is learning bladder control is if his nappy is dry for a period of longer than one hour ,check it hourly.Sitting him on the toilet is generally a good start in the morning when he wakes and at night while you are running the bath.Positive praise and patience go along way but dont sit them longer than five minutes because it can then become time they dont enjoy and other problems can start to arise.Toilet timing can take time and if you start too early it will be frustrating for both you and him. Just remember there aren't many Teenagers in nappies they all get it eventually.All the best

Hi, having successfully trained 2 boys I've got some tips for you. Take your little boy to get special potty toy he can only have when he's sitting on the potty. This will help with getting him to stay there if you need him to.Also the first few times sit with him and give him lots of praise when he does go.He must have a regular bowel movement by now? If he goes at the same time each day ie on getting up or after tea, sit him on the pot at these times until he goes then praise (a lot) when he does.I found training pants a total waste of time as both mine knew they were nappies and used them as such. (i've often been told boys are lazy and BOY is it true!). I found the best way to start is keep them naked waist down in the house and then, when they have mastered going when they need to, introduce 'big boy' pants.Also make sure he is ready. If he is walking about the house naked and still having lots of accidents it may be better to leave a couple of months and try again. Its mostly common sense and if you keep reminding him "don't forget if you need a wee you need to go on your potty' every half hour or so you shouldn't get too many accidents!I hope this helps...Good luck!

Boys are tough with potty training. Much harder than girls. I went cold turkey, no diapers during the daytime hours (even during nap), and he was allowwed to sleep in one atnight for the first couple weeks.Then I took the nighttime diaper away and he was completely trained in about two months.It can be messy, so beready for that. I tried every other trick you could think of but just finally taking the diapers away was what worked!!!

I have 3 boys..and the key is NOT TO STRESS and don't worry. I agree that the summer is the easiest. I kept a potty chair in the back yard. My 5year old is a very sound sleeper, and he wore pull-ups at night until after he turned 5. Many boys have problems with that until well past 8 years old. SO, don't feel like a failure if they don't make it through the night. We sat them all down on the the toilet backwards, so they were facing the tank, when they were really little. It's much easier for them to support themselves that way. Each boy will let you know when they are ready. DOn't try to do it to early, it will just frustrate you both. My youngest turned two in September. On Christmas day, he annouced..."I go potty"...and he took off his diaper, went to the bathroom and peed in the toilet. I had not even introduced the concept to him yet. It was all his idea. He still wears diapers at night and nap time. Honestly, when they start showing an interest, then go forward. Each of my boys was trained at a different age and stage. Again,...don't stress...

ummm ok i know this isn't my post but how do you train at night when they are sleeping...?? my daughter has been trained (during the day) for about 9 months but i am terrified of at night what do i do?

Obviously, or so I did not think it needed to be stated, just like in everything you teach them where they can do this and where they can not. I have never had my boys just pull their pants down and just do there business anywhere they wanted. I live in a home where we have a backyard and it is quite convenient. Once they get the whole concept of what they are doing, it is very easy to transition to a "potty" anywhere.

Hi, I have potty trained 4 boys and 2 girls before the age of 2. That is when to me it was the easiest. I let them pick out the underware that they wanted. I had already begun to try to catch them goiin poo. That was the first thing that I got down. If you master that first the pee comes do much easier. They were trained in about 2 weeks completely, even at night. Once you take the diaper off, don't put it back on.

Hi! I am the mom of 5 sons and 1 daughter. I think potty training boys is easiest when done in the warmer months of spring and summer. Pick a tree in the back yard and have fun! They learn quite quickly. Bowels come soon after. In the cooler months, put cheerios in the potty and aim....so much fun and they tend to do quite well. Good Luck!

OMG i have never heard of pick a tree in the backyard and have fun...lol...but if it works i might have to try that with my son (2years1month)

Finding a tree is really cute when they are 2, but when they get older and you live in town, some people might get offended or they will find a tree or not find a tree and just go where ever. I have had two aqaintences try this and then late got into situations that made them a little uncomfortable because of where the boys choose to go potty.

Hi my son is 3 now and he was clean by 21/2, i had the potty already for a while before i started to getting him using it and i just used to let him follow me in and about the bathroom. Plus after 3 children i wouldnt bother at all with training pants they are sooo like nappies why bother. I told my son that i had run out of nappies and that he had to use normal pants. Which he had choosen and i just kept asking him if he needed a wee.

I then really praised him even if he just dribbled on the potty. The hardest thing was getting him to poo on the potty cos he didnt want to let go, i just kept taking him and getting him to try and made sure he had lots of fibre so had to go.

Just keep with it even with the accidents, just change him and keep going, It took my son longest a week to do it but then he was dry day and night. At night i just put lots of towels under him and cheeked him all evening and woke him just before i went to bed to have a wee.

I agree about the "training pants". We just went pretty much to naked(at home) to "big boy" underwear. Also, to be quite honest, I never made a big deal out of it. I had sons ready at just shy of 2 to all the way to 3 and 4 years in age. Patience is key, as well as, HUMOR!!!!!! Accidents outside much better than in. Just my experience over the past 21 years...my youngest is 21 months and will begin potty training in a few weeks. It is cold where I live now so we have fun sitting on the potty while mommy sits, mostly with clothes on. Everyone gets potty trained in their own time and when they are ready. It really does only take a couple of weeks when they are truly ready. I think it is a fun time!

and its always a good idea to forgo the "training pants" they feel like diapers and they will use them as such and they are soooooo expensive. With my daughter I threw her into "big girl panties" and she learned to stay dry during the day in about 2 weeks!

Hi! I am the mom of 5 sons and 1 daughter. I think potty training boys is easiest when done in the warmer months of spring and summer. Pick a tree in the back yard and have fun! They learn quite quickly. Bowels come soon after. In the cooler months, put cheerios in the potty and aim....so much fun and they tend to do quite well. Good Luck!

OMG i have never heard of pick a tree in the backyard and have fun...lol...but if it works i might have to try that with my son (2years1month)

Hi! I am the mom of 5 sons and 1 daughter. I think potty training boys is easiest when done in the warmer months of spring and summer. Pick a tree in the back yard and have fun! They learn quite quickly. Bowels come soon after. In the cooler months, put cheerios in the potty and aim....so much fun and they tend to do quite well. Good Luck!

I have a few tricks for you to try. Little boys are hard to be interested in sitting on a potty for any lenghth of time. Put on a choice movie, bring out some books. Dont worry that hes in the T.V room (If there is carpet having news paper out helps!) What you want to get down is not where he uses his potty, just get him interested first. Once he goes one of the times that you have him sitting for potty time (Dont make him sit any longer than he wants, incurage to sit longer but once it becomes a battle stop we dont want him afraid.) Once hes either gone pee or poop in the potty now its time to praise and treat! Smarties for peeing and rose buds for poops. Once you have him wanting to do his bussiness in the potty now you move it into the bathroom.

Also Having daddy or a male figure allow him to go into the bathroom with him is wonderful incuragement.

Another helper, something to aim at in the potty...Tin can (sounds are interesting and goal pursuing.) or something like fruitloops make it a game to aim for the objects..oh corse if he trys to eat the object of choice (fruitloops) try something else it does not mean that tactic did not work.

I am a single mom of a 4 year old boy so when it was time to potty train him two years ago, I was on my own with it. I first started by taking him to the toilet every half hour or so. I would sit him on the toilet and explain to him that this is where he goes potty. I also started putting underwear on him right away. Make sure you praise him when he goes in the toilet. When/if he has an accident, sit him on the toilet and once again, let him know that's where he goes potty, not his underwear. After awhile, he started telling me he had to go so I didn't have to take him every half hour and shortly after that, he started going by himself. After some time, he started standing up and lifting the seat, which is something you can start teaching him once he gets a hang of it. I also suggest you putting underwear on him at night instead of diapers or pull-ups. Pull-ups are just like diapers and as long as my son had one on, he would go in them. The underwear is uncomfortable when he would wet them so he made sure he got up and went potty so he wasn't uncomfortable with wet pants. You can buy plastic for the mattresses or buy pads made for the bed to help protect it.

What i did was i printed out a potty chart (you can get them free online) and everytime he went pee on the potty he got a sticker. I let him pick out his own stickers. When he did a poop on the potty he got a matchbox/hotwheels car. (they are only $1). He was potty trained within weeks. We never used pull-ups because he would pee & poop in them. He now sleeps thru the night in his underwear. We dont let him have a drink past 7pm (he goes to bed @ 8pm). Potty training was actually easier then i thought!

I don't know if u have a pot or a toilet seat yet, but i found the seats that u put on your own toilet were the best. i started my boys out by sitting for a wee. till they got used to it. also get daddy to show him how to do it . this is definately a family business

Use Cheerios or another kind of cereal in the potty as targets. It won't hurt your toilet when they get flushed away and the boys will learn proper AIM! Very important.

If you don't want to do that, there is NOTHING wrong with teaching them to potty sitting down first - especially if they're a little short to properly stand at the potty and use it properly. It will not warp them in any way to potty sitting down at first. Most dad's freak a little about this at first, but trust me, it's better than scrubbing urine off the walls and the floor.